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Tue, 17 Feb 2015 03:19:54 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.5TheChicLifehttps://feedburner.google.comDIY Weekend Banner with Stickers {Quick Planner Tip}http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/-RSVeVREj5A/diy-weekend-banner-with-stickers-quick-planner-tip.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/diy-weekend-banner-with-stickers-quick-planner-tip.html#respondSat, 14 Feb 2015 20:34:43 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37247Here’s a Quick Planner Tip for my planner friends out there who love to decorate their weekly and monthly spreads. I love getting cute weekend banner stickers on Etsy, but I also like to switch things up by making my own with various materials, like washi tape. How to Make a DIY Weekend Banner with...

Here’s a Quick Planner Tip for my planner friends out there who love to decorate their weekly and monthly spreads. I love getting cute weekend banner stickers on Etsy, but I also like to switch things up by making my own with various materials, like washi tape.

How to Make a DIY Weekend Banner with Stickers

Simply draw a curved line across the weekend days of your planner as pictured above. Evenly spread small stickers of choice across the line. I used tiny hearts from a sticker book I picked up at Target. Naturally, you could use any small sticker, like circles, stars, etc. To make the spacing pretty even, I placed the center heart first and spread the others out from there.

I just added five stickers to be decorative, but I could have added enough to spell out “weekend”. Of course, you can spell out any word of choice or make a non-weekend banner, too. You could do one for a special event, holiday, etc. Use a fine-tip permanent marker to write a letter on each sticker or place a letter sticker on top of your shape sticker.

Have fun making your DIY Weekend Banner with Stickers. The possibilities are truly endless!

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/diy-weekend-banner-with-stickers-quick-planner-tip.html/feed0http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/diy-weekend-banner-with-stickers-quick-planner-tip.htmlSpiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/7VZVmrxgr9Y/spiced-cauliflower-chickpea-soup-recipe.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/spiced-cauliflower-chickpea-soup-recipe.html#commentsFri, 13 Feb 2015 12:56:45 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37239For me, soup is a year-round fave. But, there are some cold winter days when it just seems extra appealing. I enjoyed cozying up with this Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup Recipe, and I think you will too. The addition of garam masala gives it a lovely spiced flavor unlike most soups I usually make....

]]>For me, soup is a year-round fave. But, there are some cold winter days when it just seems extra appealing. I enjoyed cozying up with this Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup Recipe, and I think you will too. The addition of garam masala gives it a lovely spiced flavor unlike most soups I usually make. The flavor change-up is not only fun but fitting with the season. Who knew one little ingredient could yield so much flavor. And to make things even better, you can have this soup ready in 30 minutes or less.

Yep, bookmark this for your next lazy night. Most of the ingredients can be grabbed from the pantry, and you can make things even easier on yourself by picking up some Trader Joe’s mire poix if you don’t feel like chopping up the onion, celery, and carrot yourself. It’s one of my new favorite time-savers for post-long-work-day meals. Freeze the leftovers in individual serving containers for even easier meals later.

This Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup Recipe makes for a light but flavorful dinner and is perfect for a cold, winter night. The simple addition of garam masala gives the soup a beautiful, spiced taste. Serve with toasted whole grain bread. I’m currently loving the multigrain sourdough from Trader Joe’s.

*Vegan, Vegetarian*

Author: Diana of thechiclife.com

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped small

2 stalks celery, chopped small

2 large carrots, chopped small

½ large head cauliflower, cut into about 1 inch florets

2 cloves garlic, chopped small

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon shallot salt (or sub onion salt)

1 box vegetable broth

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juices

chopped fresh parsley, optional, for garnish

Instructions

Pre-heat a large pot over medium heat. When ready, add olive oil, onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add cauliflower and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic, garam masala, and shallot salt, and stir together until garlic is fragrant, about 60 seconds.

Add broth, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook until flavors have combined and cauliflower is tender, about 5-10 minutes.

Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

Note: Looking for a shortcut? Pick up a mire poix from Trader Joe’s – pre cut onions, celery, and carrots for about $3.

3.2.2265

Hope you like this Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup Recipe. Thanks for stopping by!

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/spiced-cauliflower-chickpea-soup-recipe.html/feed1http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/spiced-cauliflower-chickpea-soup-recipe.htmlPlanning While Travelinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/C45IqOlx9Cg/planning-while-traveling.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/planning-while-traveling.html#respondWed, 04 Feb 2015 13:09:29 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37229Hubby and I take frequent weekend road trips to see family. This is great since we get to spend lots of quality time with them, but it can make planning a little more challenging for me. I’ve come up with a couple things that have helped make planning while traveling easier for me, so I...

Hubby and I take frequent weekend road trips to see family. This is great since we get to spend lots of quality time with them, but it can make planning a little more challenging for me. I’ve come up with a couple things that have helped make planning while traveling easier for me, so I thought I’d share in case anyone else finds this info helpful, too.

I like to do my planning over the course of the weekend, which is why I bring what I need to get planning done while I’m out of town. And I am that Type A that I want my week decorated so I know how to best fill it in when I learn about upcoming events and what not. Heaven forbid I use the wrong color! Seriously, though…I used to color coordinate my planner by using a specific color for a particular category. I’ve recently begun to use colors based on the week’s color scheme, so I do like to have at least the colors picked out before I start writing in the week’s spread. This brings me to my first tip:

Tip #1: Choose Your Color Scheme and Coordinating Planner Decorations

I use the Erin Condren Life Planner, which comes with month and week views. When I’m traveling, I’m usually focused on the week view only of the upcoming week. One of the best things I can do in the days leading up to my trip is choose a color scheme. This reduces the amount of supplies I need to take with me, especially the more selective I can be. If I know I want to go with a pink and turquoise theme, then I don’t need to bring any of the supplies in other colors. I actually decided to bring all my Valentine’s Day supplies with me this past weekend, and I have a lot of those. A lot. Seriously, I’ve been raiding the Target Dollar Spot like whoa. So, I’ll do another post with tips on if you want to bring a bigger stash. To keep things simple, the easiest thing is to have a good idea of what you want to do and bring only what you need to make it happen.

Tip #2: Store Your Planner Supplies in an Accordion File

I picked up a cute turquoise polka dot accordion file from the Target Dollar Spot recently. Actually, let’s be real. I picked up a few of these. But, I find the short and long shape (there are three options that I’ve seen so far) works best for planning while traveling. It’s long enough to hold some of my taller sticker sheets. It can also fit my sticky notes and washi tape. Probably the best thing about it is that it keeps my stickers nice and flat so they don’t get out of shape or accidentally peeled off. I also like having most of my supplies in one easy-to-access place and the ability to keep my stickers separated. You could do them by color or theme, but I’m currently keeping my Etsy stickers grouped by shop. You can even put your scissors in here. It holds so much, and it was only $1.

Tip #3: Have a Dedicated Tote/Bag

I’ve been using planners longer than I can remember. It was always one of my favorite school supplies when I was a kid. I think I started using them as early as middle school. Since then, I’ve tried carrying it in various ways. I’ve tried jamming it into other bags containing many things. I put it in the same bag as a reusable water bottle one time, which was a big mistake. What kind of water bottle leaks!? The best thing to do is to have a dedicated tote to protect your planner from liquids, foods, pointy objects etc.

Keeping your planner in a separate bag will also help since you can treat that bag extra gently. You won’t put it at the bottom of your luggage or shove it into some crevice of space in the car. You can really take care of your precious…I mean…planner.

Tip #4: Go on a Planner Supplies Adventure

It’s amazing how different stores, even of the same big chain, can have a different stock of planner supplies. When I’m traveling, I like to go on mini shopping adventures. I love to check out the stores to see what goodies I may find. Inevitably, I find a new sheet of stickers of a style of washi tape I’ve never seen, so I like to use my trips to collect new supplies. I like collecting a couple different things (mugs, journals, etc.), and craft supplies is definitely high on my list of things to shop for when I’m out of town.

Planner Post Requests?

Hope you enjoyed my Planning While Traveling post! If you have any planner-related post requests, let me know in a comment below or shoot me an email at thechiclife at gmail dot com. I’ve toyed around with the idea of making a video because I think some things are just easier to show in video format, but videos terrify me! I keep hoping to muster up the courage over the years, but I may just need to stick with photo-blogging. We’ll see!

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/planning-while-traveling.html/feed0http://thechiclife.com/2015/02/planning-while-traveling.htmlHealthier Chicken and Dumplings Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/X3CcGURT6Zk/healthier-chicken-dumplings-recipe.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/healthier-chicken-dumplings-recipe.html#commentsThu, 29 Jan 2015 13:44:33 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37198Who says comfort food has to be unhealthy? I think a cozy bowl of this Healthier Chicken and Dumplings recipe is perfect for a cold or rainy day. We definitely make this a few times during the fall and winter seasons. The base recipe is actually really great, so I didn’t have to change it...

]]>Who says comfort food has to be unhealthy? I think a cozy bowl of this Healthier Chicken and Dumplings recipe is perfect for a cold or rainy day. We definitely make this a few times during the fall and winter seasons.

The base recipe is actually really great, so I didn’t have to change it too much. It’s simple and fast. Hello, 30 Minute Meals! But, I didn’t love using boxed biscuit mix for the dumplings. Some of those boxed mixes throw in some interesting extras by way of ingredients that Michael Pollan wouldn’t approve.

Speaking of Pollan, I love his straightforward approach to eating as outlined in Food Rules, and it’s probably one of the most influential books I’ve read for my take on healthy eating. His advice is practical and easy to apply, and I thought about it when I adjusted this recipe.

From extra biscuit mix ingredients to straight up biscuit ingredients, I made this a little extra clean-eats.

Here’s a Healthier Chicken and Dumplings Recipe to try out sometime soon. I adapted this recipe from the 30 Minute Meals recipe to make the biscuits from scratch (with a couple other minor changes). It’s really just as easy as using the boxed stuff without the unnecessary added yucky ingredients. Don’t skip the parsley. It’s so good for you and high in vitamin C. Try using whole grains for the biscuit mix to take the health factor up a notch. I really like using spelt flour because the texture is pretty fluffy for a whole grain flour.

Pre-heat a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Add oil, potato, carrots, onion, and celery, and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in bay leaf, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons butter and melt, stirring a little. Add 2 tablespoons flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Whisk in broth or stock and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.

In a medium bowl, stir 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Cut 2 tablespoons butter into small cubes. Cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and ¼ cup parsley until the mixture is just evenly combined (be careful to not over mix).

Sometimes it’s hard to find 1½ pounds of chicken at the grocery store. I find that anywhere between 1 and 1½ pounds works okay. You’ll just have a lot more of the veggies and biscuits if you go towards the lower amount of chicken, but you can still make it work.

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/healthier-chicken-dumplings-recipe.html/feed5http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/healthier-chicken-dumplings-recipe.htmlEat in Month 2015 Week 3 Check-In and Eat in Month Potluckhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/It4b10Hvxv8/eat-in-month-2015-week-3-check-in-and-eat-in-month-potluck.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-in-month-2015-week-3-check-in-and-eat-in-month-potluck.html#commentsWed, 28 Jan 2015 14:11:03 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37218We entered the last half of the Eat in Month 2015 Challenge with Week 3. I’m ready for a little eating out, but I feel like I’m doing pretty well with the challenge so far. Our meals have been pretty simple. I thought I’d have more time for meal planning. But a meal plan is...

We entered the last half of the Eat in Month 2015 Challenge with Week 3. I’m ready for a little eating out, but I feel like I’m doing pretty well with the challenge so far. Our meals have been pretty simple. I thought I’d have more time for meal planning. But a meal plan is better than no meal, even if I don’t have new or fancy recipes to test out. Maybe next month I will experiment more?

Sunday, January 18, 2015: My Epic Eater friends came over on Sunday for an Eat in Month themed potluck. Many of the ladies are doing the challenge, too, so it was fun to eat in together. And you guys have seen many of them on my blog before. As you know, they can coooooook! We had so many delicious eats to enjoy, including leek cornbread muffins, Russian dumplings with an assortment of toppings, mini frittatas, hash brown casserole, Katie’s vegan broccoli casserole, braised lentils, my Orange Marmalade Meatballs, cookie dough dip, cookies, my mom’s Filipino sweet rice (I owe you this recipe!), and Katie’s vegan triple layer almond butter brownies.

{Kseniya, me, Erin, Katy, Monica, and not pictured – Jen and Katie} It’s always a fun and delicious time with these guys!

Monday, January 19, 2015: I had Monday off from work, so we tried a slow cooker recipe for pulled beef tacos. While that cooked away, I also enjoyed some Honey Lemon Ginger Tea (from scratch – recipe coming soon!) and slow cooker chili leftovers (with one of Monica’s delicious corn muffins).

Side note: Have you seen all the cute stationery at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls? I’m finding the cutest stuff and having a hard time not wanting to get one of each.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015: Tuesday’s eats were simple. I had a KIND bar for breakfast, leftover pulled beef as a taco bowl, and mom’s pork chops.

Other side note: I’ve been straightening my hair and doing loose curls while the weather is cooler and dryer. Does anyone else tend do one style during one season? I feel like my natural waves are harder to style at this time of year and the straighten/loose-curl look would be harder when it gets warmer. I guess I’m going with the flow.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015: On Wednesday, I cracked into my Back to Nature Chia Almond Granola and had that with some So Delicious coconut milk yogurt. This is just one of the easiest breakfasts I do, and I love the mix together. I especially like that it can be grab-and-go so I can eat it at the office. And as new tradition, it was spaghetti night.

Thursday, January 22, 2015: On Thursday, hubby was really excited to make grilled cheese sandwiches. They were really paninis, but close enough. We had them with some boxed tomato soup. I don’t know why we don’t do more simple meals like this more often. This one took so little time to throw together, and we really enjoyed it. From-scratch soup would have been better, but this worked okay for a quick week night meal.

Friday, January 23, 2015: Does anyone else like to compare how frozen meals look to the picture on the box? Whenever I post a photo of a frozen meal, I like to put the meal side by side with the box photo so you can see the difference. Regardless, these Amy meals are really good, especially since I don’t love the way meat tastes cooked in the microwave. I worked late on Friday and then came home to pack and hit the road to visit my parents. We had more paninis before we left, but I made a quick noodle soup at my parents’ house since I was a little hungry when we arrived. I posted the “recipe” on my Instagram along with the photo.

Saturday, January 24, 2015: On Saturday, we celebrated my mom and hubby’s birthdays. Sissy’s SO made the most delicious fried shrimp I think I’ve ever had. Impressive! They came with not one but three dipping sauces! Surprisingly to me, the Thai chili was my fave. I didn’t think I’d like it since it sounds so spicy, but it wasn’t too hot at all. We also had miso soup, honey ginger chicken, steamed veggies, brown rice, and streusel cheesecake (a Pampered Chef recipe).

All in all, another great week! Though some days were a little challenge for eating in, I generally felt like the challenge has been pretty easy this year for us. As I’m typing, it doesn’t even seem like we’ve been eating in for almost an entire month already. We’ve had a couple times where we wanted to use our cheat pass, but nothing too pressing. We may make it the whole challenge without using it! What about you?

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-in-month-2015-week-3-check-in-and-eat-in-month-potluck.html/feed2http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-in-month-2015-week-3-check-in-and-eat-in-month-potluck.htmlHow to Decorate Your Planner with Washi Tapehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/Ym7uio73JrY/decorate-planner-washi-tape.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/decorate-planner-washi-tape.html#commentsTue, 20 Jan 2015 04:23:28 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37160Whether you’re new to decorating your planner or you’re just browsing for new ideas, here are some simple tips on How To Decorate Your Planner with Washi Tape. {I’m decorating my Erin Condren Life Planner (my fourth one!) in this post, but you could apply these ideas to other great options: Kikki K, Filofax, Kate...

]]>Whether you’re new to decorating your planner or you’re just browsing for new ideas, here are some simple tips on How To Decorate Your Planner with Washi Tape.

{I’m decorating my Erin Condren Life Planner (my fourth one!) in this post, but you could apply these ideas to other great options: Kikki K, Filofax, Kate Space, Passion Planner, and others.}

Overview

Especially if you’re new to decorating your planner, things can be a little overwhelming. There are so many great supplies you can use to add some zest to your planner: washi tape, stickers, scrapbook paper, stamps, post-its, etc. The options are endless, but the budget is (at least for me) not. I remember when I first started scrapbooking many years ago. I wanted one of everything. But, especially if you don’t already have a lot of scrapbooking supplies, things can add up quickly. I decided to experiment with a spread of my planner to see if I could decorate a week of my planner with just washi tape. And since washi tape is so versatile, I was able to get a lot out of just two rolls.

I was able to decorate my planner for less than $5 by using a two-pack of washi tape I found at Michael’s. With coupons/discounts, I paid $3.14 for the pair, but you could pay even less if you used one of those 50% coupons I see frequently. The full price at the time of this post was $4.99, so you could get it for only $2.50 plus tax. If you’re like me, you’ll probably want more color options and to eventually add other materials (stickers, etc.), but it’s good to know you can do a lot by starting/going small and simple.

And speaking of simple, I generally like clean layouts, but you could really add as much personality to your planner as you want. Go crazy. Experiment. See what you like. Layer the tape on, use several different colors if you want. It’s your planner, so you should do whatever makes you happy because that will make you use your planner and motivate yourself to stay organized.

What is Washi Tape?

Washi tape is a decorative tape that is very thin and lightweight and comes is a wide array of colors and patterns making it great for coordinating colors in your planner decorations. One of the best features of washi tape is that it’s repositionable. I don’t recommend ripping the tape up too quickly, though, since it can actually rip your paper. Yes, I learned the hard way, so just trust me on that one.

Washi tape comes in many sizes, too. The most common sizes I’ve seen are 10mm and 15mm. The size you want to buy will depend on where you want to place the washi tape in your planner. I’ll list sizes below for the areas I decorated. I generally like seeing the original labels, numbers, and other words in my planner, so I usually stick with the more narrow tape sizes to cover up less.

I’m planning to do a separate post/page of my favorite places to buy planner supplies, but I get most of my washi tape from craft stores and Etsy. It’s pretty easy to find.

What You’ll Need

You’ll want to at least have:

washi tape (I recommend 2 coordinating colors at least, but even just 1 would work)

scissors (the smaller size than pictured may give you a more precise cut, but I only have this size – the smaller version is on my shopping list)

ruler (optional for my fellow Type A-ers out there)

color-coordinating pen

I’m using a two pack off washi tape with one 10mm and one 15mm in size. I recommend using sizes 6mm, 10mm, or 15mm for the ideas in this post, but you may find a different size works better for you.

Before You Start Decorating

Here’s what the planner looks like sans decorations so you can see where I started.

Before I start dropping tape onto my planner, I like to measure around the planner to determine the best size washi tape to use in the areas I want to decorate.

For example, one of the most common places to add washi tape is around the morning/day/night boxes, which is the main section of the weekly view. The washi tape is usually placed vertically on the left side to cover the polka dots and horizontally underneath to cover the “meal plans | exercise | daily dos…” line.

The vertical area is about 10mm between the top left calendar and the main box, but the polka dots reach wider than this, at about 15mm. I like to put 10mm or 15mm tape here. The 10mm won’t quite cover all the polka dots, but the 15mm will cover either some of your calendar or some of the main box, depending on where you place it.

The horizontal area is about 10mm between the lines and the bottom of the main area, but you could use a really slim tape (6mm) to cover just the words. You could also use a much wider tape to cover the words plus a couple lines or even the whole lower section. I really like the lines at the bottom of the planner, so I try to cover up just the space between them and the main area with the 10mm tape.

It’s not really necessary to measure. You could eyeball it. But, I like to do this step to try to determine the best sized tape to use.

Adding the Washi Tape to Your Planner

Here are six examples of how to decorate your planner with washi tape.

As I mentioned earlier, you can really decorate your planner to your heart’s desire. There are no rules to where you can or cannot put the washi tape. I’ve seen people cover all of the printed numbers and words with tape or just run the tape around the page borders. Remember to experiment and have fun with it. The following are just some ideas to get you started.

#1 Borders

Working with washi tape is pretty easy, especially since it’s repositionable. For long lines, like these borders, I usually like to attach the tape at one end. Then, I slowly lower the tape down from the starting end to the other end, pressing lightly as I go. I also try to ensure it stays aligned throughout. Once it’s down and lined up okay, I press the tape into the paper again to ensure it’s really attached.

For this layout, I put the horizontal (turquoise) tape down first because if there was any overlap, I wanted the vertical tape on top. Then, I added the vertical (floral) tape vertically down the left side, covering the polka dots. If you use the 15mm washi tape as I did, you’ll have to decide whether you want some of that top left calendar or the Monday column covered. I went with the latter.

If you like a more minimal look, you could stop here (or skip the borders altogether), but I wanted to spread the color throughout the page more.

#2 DIY Page Flags

Have you seen all the amazing handmade planner stickers there are on Etsy? I have some and will blog about my faves another time. Page flags are one of the most common sticker shapes I see (besides the obvious circles, squares, etc.) for planner materials. Many great Etsy shops offer them with words and cute graphics like this one or even blank so you can write on them. While I am planning to use some of those stickers, it’s good to know you can also make your own page flags with washi tape.

To make them, simply cut a rectangle out of the washi tape and then cut a triangle* out of the short end of one side. You can place them any direction you’d like. Most page flag stickers seem to have the pointy ends pointing down, but place them as you like. I used a really patterned tape that isn’t ideal for writing words on. I’d probably need to use bold lettering to make the words really readable. In this example, I used the tape more to bring some of the color from the left side of the planner to the right side. I put two page flags on the right and one on the left to try to balance the floral tape across both pages.

*NOTE: Save those leftover triangles! We’re going to use them in the next example. I don’t like wasting materials, so I’m always trying to think of ways to use up scraps instead of throwing them away.

#3 DIY Weekend Banner

Another popular planner sticker is the weekend banner, like this one (I really want to order this one soon). There are non-weekend banners and single day banners, but the weekend one seems most common.

I got the idea to make a banner with washi tape from Belinda (check out her site and YouTube for some other cute planner ideas). But, instead of using page flag shapes, I decided to use the leftover triangles from the DIY page flags I added to the boxes.

To make the DIY weekend banner, use a color-coordinating pen to draw a line from the top left corner of the Saturday column to the top right corner of the Sunday column. You may wish to make your curve less swoopy and more flat so the tops of the triangles line up better.

Add the triangles so the edges line up with the line you drew, evenly spreading them.

#4 DIY Labels – Left Column

You can add a little color to the left side of the planner without covering up too much by making some simple labels. I used a ruler to measure how wide I wanted them since I didn’t want to cover the paper from the edge of the paper to the vertical tape border. This helped me make sure each label was the same size.

Add the tape to the left column, spacing them vertically as you like (in case one list/section needs more space than the other). You can use these to simply divide the space. Write some words on the tape (“To-Do”, “To Buy”, etc.) to create a label instead of using them as space dividers.

#5 DIY Labels – Banners

To pull some more of the color of the turquoise tape throughout, I created a couple simple banner labels. To make these, simply cut a rectangle out of the tape and cut a small triangle out of each side. You can also reserve these triangles to add to your DIY weekend banner, if you’d like.

You can also add words to these. I used one for “Weekend!” and one for “Party!” (forgot to write the last one in before I snapped the next photo).

#6 Shapes

I guess this one is pretty obvious, but you can cut all kinds of shapes out of washi tape to just add pops of color here and there. I cut a couple short rectangles and then cut them in half on the diagonal to make some triangle shapes. You could use these as labels or just for decoration. I used mine to distribute the color a little more. You could also use punch cutters, etc. to make even more shapes. I recommend putting the washi tape on something else before using a punch cutter, though. Since the washi is repositionable, you could probably use any paper. I’ve seen others recommend using something the tape will come off of more easily, like vellum or wax paper. I haven’t tested either of these out yet, but they make sense.

All Decorated

Anywho, here’s the finished product! I used color-coordinating pens to add in my notes for the week, and I’m really loving the color scheme. It not only makes me smile, but it keeps me on top of things, too.

Erin Condren Discount Code

I’ve been using the Erin Condren Life Planners for the last four years, and I absolutely love them. I haven’t seen Erin Condren discount their Life Planner in a long time. But, they do have a great referral program (open to anyone, not just for bloggers). If you’re interested in getting the planner photographed in this post, check out the Erin Condren Life Planner. You can save $10 by using my referral link and signing up for an account. If you use my referral link, I’ll also get a little credit, so we both win.

More Planner Tips

More Planner Inspiration

If you want to see what others are doing with their planners, check out some of these hashtags on Instagram:

#erincondren

#ecplanner

#plannernerd

#planneraddict

There are many more, but these will get you started, and then you can find others to also check out. There are so many creative planner lovers out there. I just love seeing what everyone is doing with theirs.

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/decorate-planner-washi-tape.html/feed4http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/decorate-planner-washi-tape.htmlEat in Month 2015 Meal Plan Week 3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/ztTVB8irT_Y/eat-month-2015-meal-plan-week-3.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-month-2015-meal-plan-week-3.html#respondTue, 20 Jan 2015 02:36:45 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37184While I always enjoy the Eat in Month Challenge, I must say that I’m looking forward to being able to eat out in February. There are some things I can’t make (like pizza at the moment…thanks, oven). And then there are some things restaurants do so much better than me. In past years, I used...

While I always enjoy the Eat in Month Challenge, I must say that I’m looking forward to being able to eat out in February. There are some things I can’t make (like pizza at the moment…thanks, oven). And then there are some things restaurants do so much better than me. In past years, I used to think that if you wanted something from a restaurant that you should do your best to re-create it. And while that’s fun, there are many things that restaurants and talented chefs are just going to do better than me no matter how hard I try. And I respect that. And I really just want to eat some of it now. But, I can wait a couple more weeks.

Still, the Eat in Month challenge does always help me look at my everyday eating in a new light. There are some lessons learned that I want to apply to my eats in the rest of 2015. I’m hoping to pick up a couple more in the last two weeks of the challenge. So, two and a half weeks down, and two to go. We can do this!

Here’s my Eat in Month 2015 Meal Plan Week 3

Sunday, January 18, 2015

My foodie friends came over on Sunday for a potluck Eat in Month style. It was so fun, and the food was delicious. Those girls can cooooook! Remember the cheese potluck? More on Sunday’s potluck in my check-in post.

Monday, January 19, 2015

We had the day off from work, so we tried a new slow cooker recipe. We don’t like leaving the slow cooker on while we’re away, so we try these out on the weekends and other days we’ll be around all day.

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-month-2015-meal-plan-week-3.html/feed0http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-month-2015-meal-plan-week-3.htmlEat in Month 2015 Week 2 Check-Inhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/VW_qPPRO7gw/eat-in-month-2015-week-2-check-in.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-in-month-2015-week-2-check-in.html#commentsMon, 19 Jan 2015 23:55:44 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37180Well, we’ve entered the last half of the Eat in Month Challenge 2015. Woohoo! Just a couple weeks left. You can do it! You can check out my meal plan for Eat in Month 2015 week 2. Here’s how my second week of the challenge went. Sunday, January 11, 2015: My dance fitness company had...

Sunday, January 11, 2015: My dance fitness company had a holiday party, but luckily for me, it was potluck-style. I had a couple people ask me if this counted as a cheat, but I didn’t think it did for a couple reasons: 1) we weren’t at a restaurant 2) most of the food was home-cooked. I enjoyed some great eats with some sparkling vino and the company of my dance friends. It was a great time!

Monday, January 12, 2015: We actually cooked pot roast in the slow cooker Sunday even though I had the potluck for dinner. It was supposed to be hubby’s dinner on Sunday and our lunch for later in the week. I recently became one of the co-organizers of a local Meetup, so I had that after work. I should have planned better because I was really, really hungry even before the Meetup started. I had a late dinner of soup, steamed veggies, and a toasted bagel.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015: On Tuesday, I started the day with an egg and whole wheat toast breakfast sandwich on-the-go. And we had more pot roast, so that made for a great lunch. I cashed my once-a-week Starbucks in on Tuesday with a grande chai tea latte. We did a simple dinner of grilled chicken with Homestead rub. That stuff tastes good on everything! I think we were supposed to have rice pilaf, but hubby requested mac and cheese. We whipped up a box of Annie’s.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015: Wednesday was a big day for me. We moved my Zumba class to a new location after having been at the old one for well over a year. I had another toasted egg sandwich for breakfast, a turkey cheese sandwich for lunch, and a ginger tea and KIND snack bar in the afternoon. The new class location kick-off went great! We had a couple unexpected issues we had to deal with right before, but overall it all went well. One of the issues was a giant stage that isn’t normally supposed to be in the space. You’d think it would be good, but the floor pieces weren’t locked in. So, all the pieces were moving around under the instructors while we danced. Yikes! Luckily, no one fell through and class went off swimmingly. I think the new location is going to be great!

Thursday, January 15, 2015: As the week closed, I found myself running a little later, so I had a KIND bar for breakfast. Hubby made my ginger soy grilled chicken for dinner, and we cooked extra for lunch. I had a half pumpkin chocolate chip muffin from Great Harvest for dessert. I was supposed to have it for breakfast, but I forgot it was there in the morning.

Friday, January 16, 2015: I tried doing the leftover chicken for lunch, but it wasn’t my favorite. I’m not a fan of the way chicken tastes re-heated. I ate it, but I’m not going to plan for another one of those any time soon. The only way I can seem to eat chicken re-heated is if it’s in soup. I really, really wanted another Starbucks on Friday, but I held strong and made some Sleepytime tea instead. And Friday has become my late work day. I was at the office till 7:30pm. I had planned an easy dinner just in case this happened, so dinner was a cinch. I made my Easy Tortellini Soup, and it hit the spot. I used Trader Joe’s spinach tortellini this time, and I think it was even better with this than the cheese I used originally.

Saturday, January 17, 2015: I had a meeting in the afternoon on Saturday, so I had a late lunch of leftover tortellini soup. The star of Saturday was definitely dinner. I haven’t had this shrimp in forever, but it’s one of my fave ways to prep it. I cook it quickly with lemon and garlic. It’s yummy! I also whipped up some of my Rosemary Garlic Farro. A whole foods oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and milk went great with a relaxing night in and my new Sleep Haven candle.

How’s your challenge going? Is it getting easier or harder as we near the end?

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-in-month-2015-week-2-check-in.html/feed1http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-in-month-2015-week-2-check-in.htmlEat in Month 2015 Meal Plan Week 2http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/pEDzyKeb7EM/eat-month-2015-meal-plan-week-2.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-month-2015-meal-plan-week-2.html#respondTue, 13 Jan 2015 13:10:05 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37128Well, I guess I’m slacking a little already since I’m a couple days late with my meal plan, but at least I’m making one? One change I’m doing to be more efficient is to not plan breakfast. As long as I plan my morning to include *a breakfast*, eating breakfast isn’t much of a challenge....

Well, I guess I’m slacking a little already since I’m a couple days late with my meal plan, but at least I’m making one? One change I’m doing to be more efficient is to not plan breakfast. As long as I plan my morning to include *a breakfast*, eating breakfast isn’t much of a challenge. I have stocked my pantry so I have plenty of great things to choose from for breakfast. This will save time in my meal planning and let me focus on my real challenge areas – lunch and dinner.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

I had a holiday party on Sunday that was a potluck. Some of my friends at the party asked if this counted as a cheat, but I didn’t think it did, especially since I wasn’t at a restaurant, I wasn’t paying for food, and most of the eats were home-cooked anyways. Do you have any gray area meals coming up? Remember, it’s your challenge, so you can make a call on whether it’s a cheat or not.

Monday, January 12, 2015

I had a Meetup event after work, so I knew dinner needed to be simple. Since I feel like I may have a bit of a cold (or am coming down with something…no!), I finished off the last of my mom’s Filipino Get Well Soup for an easy dinner.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Ok, here’s where we’re really planning. Tuesday is my night for either cooking something more elaborate or focusing on errands/to-dos at the house. I’m feeling a little behind on things, so a simple dinner is sounding good. One of our favorite meals to make is grilled chicken that is simply flavored with a spice blend. We just rub whichever flavor we’re feeling into the chicken and grill away! I love to eat these with steamed vegetables and rice pilaf. We have a bunch of boxed pilafs and will use one of those.

Lunch: Pot roast

Dinner: Grilled chicken with spice blend, steamed veggies, rice pilaf

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

I have a BIG event tonight that I’m so excited about! My Zumba class is moving to a new location! I’ll be doing a second class after mine, so hubby will cook dinner so I’m not eating at midnight. Wednesday is quickly becoming our spaghetti night.

Lunch: Sandwich, veg, chips

Dinner: Spaghetti and veg

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Class night! Hubby loves grilling, so we’ll make one of my favorite ways to grill chicken that only uses 3 ingredients, too! We’re going to make a double-batch of everything for an easy Friday lunch.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Leftovers – the easiest lunch. I love packing these the night before so I can just grab and go in the morning. I’ve been so tired on Fridays after my crazy-busy work weeks, I’ll look forward to a cozy bowl of this super simple soup.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

I have a busy Saturday, so I’m thinking easy eats that are quick and delicious. We haven’t had shrimp in awhile, so I’m going to whip up my favorite way to eat them. I think it’s based on a 30 Minute Meal, but we usually just wing it these days, especially since it’s so easy to make! Let me know if you’d like to know how we cook our shrimp, and I’ll put a recipe together.

Lunch: Easy Tortellini Soup with toast or rolls

Dinner: Garlic lemon shrimp sauté, Rosemary Garlic Farro, veg

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Do you have any meal plan tips? Leave em in a comment or feel free to share your meal plan for the week. Thanks for stopping by!

]]>http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-month-2015-meal-plan-week-2.html/feed0http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-month-2015-meal-plan-week-2.htmlEat in Month 2015 Week 1 Check-Inhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheChicLife/~3/CRSpV7nxnGw/eat-in-month-2015-week-1-check-in.html
http://thechiclife.com/2015/01/eat-in-month-2015-week-1-check-in.html#commentsMon, 12 Jan 2015 12:51:17 +0000http://thechiclife.com/?p=37123How did everyone’s first full week of the Eat in Month 2015 Challenge go? Mine definitely had some challenges, but overall, I thought it went really well! Here’s my Eat in Month 2015 Week 1 Check-In. You can check out my Eat in Month 2015 Week 1 Meal Plan here to see how it compares....

]]>How did everyone’s first full week of the Eat in Month 2015 Challenge go? Mine definitely had some challenges, but overall, I thought it went really well! Here’s my Eat in Month 2015 Week 1 Check-In.

Sunday, January 4, 2015: On Sunday, we made good use of the leftovers to make fried rice. I forgot how much I love this stuff, and it’s just so easy to make. We even were able to put some of the leftover pork adobo into it, which I’ve never done before. But, it worked! We made one of my all-time favorite The Chic Life recipes for dinner: Beef and 3 Bean Slow Cooker Chili. This thing tastes so good, and the leftovers re-heat really well to make for easy meals later. We managed to have leftovers for lunch the next day and even froze a couple more portions for another day.

Monday, January 5, 2015: Monday was tough mostly because it was the first Monday post-holidays. Phew! Don’t the holidays seem like they were so long ago already? We kept things simple with eats with the leftover chili and leftover frozen soup for dinner. I got some treats from a sweet co-worker and decided to do one Starbucks out per week. It’s an improvement over what I usually end up doing during the work weeks, so I’ll take it.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015: I could potentially eat eggs and toast for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch everyday. But, I’m trying to add some variety into the meal plans. Still, I do look forward to both eats-wise and had them a couple times this week, including both back-to-back on Tuesday. I’m working on adding more veg to my lunches this year by cooking extra vegetables or having salad ingredients on hand to whip something up quickly. Another staple in our house is the stir-fry. We usually do chicken with whatever veggies we feel like eating or are on sale. I haven’t posted a recipe, but there are lots of good ones online. Let me know if you’d like to know how I do mine. Also, had to throw a Bailey photo in here.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015: I pulled out an old favorite for breakfast on Wednesday – oatmeal! This stuff is great to eat around this time of year when everyone seems to be getting sick since oatmeal is good for your immune system. I also had an apple for extra fruit nutrition and a pre-workout snack. I busted into my Trader Joe’s coconut almond chocolates and am going to try to not devour them in one week. And, hubby cooked one of his staple meals – spaghetti. We may be doing this every Wednesday. This is another thing we cook all the time, but I haven’t posted a recipe yet. Would you like to see it?

Thursday, January 8, 2015: Another eats upgrade we’re trying to do (in addition to veg at lunch) is fruit at breakfast. Sliced oranges are so easy, we really should do it more. We had more leftovers for lunch (love how easy this makes the work week eats). Hubby made chicken in a jarred simmer sauce for dinner. Those jarred sauces make dinner so simple!

And the top-right photo is a preview of some upcoming content. Any other planner geeks out there? I’m going to be sharing more posts about my planner, how I set it up, how I decorate it, shopping hauls for it, etc. soon. First up, I have a tutorial on how to decorate it in a very simple way. I’m hoping to get that post up this week. In the meantime, I’ll share photos on my Instagram if you want to see it there first.

Friday, January 9, 2015: On Friday, I went completely off the plans. I forgot breakfast but had a KIND bar as a back-up at my desk at work. I was planning to work from home and have soup at the house, but I ended up needing to go into the office. Luckily, we had enough ingredients for one more sandwich. And for dinner, I cooked my Mom’s Get Well Soup for hubby, so I had some olives, bread, and cheese as a snack while that cooked away.

Saturday, January 10, 2015: I really enjoyed the eats from the last day of Week 1. I made a big bowl of oatmeal and finally found my favorite nut butter, Barney Butter, on sale. I happily added a spoonful to breakfast. I had more soup leftovers for lunch with my new favorite way to eat kale. I just steam it for about 5 minutes and drizzle a little soy sauce over it. And for dinner, I made a from-scratch TV dinner with Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals Salisbury Steak recipe, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a Great Harvest roll.

Not too shabby for Week 1! I hope the rest of them go this smoothly!

***

I’m a little late completing it, but I’m finalizing my Week 2 meal plan and will share that as soon as it’s ready.

In other news, you guys have been uploading TONS of photos on Instagram and twitter, and I truly love seeing them. Thanks for adding #eatinmonth to your photos, and keep em coming. It’s so cool to see how everyone’s doing with the challenge, and I’m already hearing some great success stories about people eating well and even saving money already! Woohoo!